27th matchday
Darmstadt continues on the path to relegation: only 2:2 in Bochum
Darmstadt’s Thomas Isherwood (r) in a duel with Bochum’s Takuma Asano. photo
© David Inderlied/dpa
The Darmstadt residents’ hopes for a turnaround turn out to be wishful thinking. The 2-2 draw in Bochum only gives the bottom team limited hope of staying in the league.
In his 100th competitive game in the coaching bench of the “Lilien”, the bottom team fought to a respectable 2:2 (0:1) at VfL Bochum, but remained in the basement duel with the 15th place in the table. for the 20th time in a row without a win. With the team still six points behind the relegation place, the promoted team’s quick return to the 2nd Bundesliga is getting closer and closer.
The division of points after Bochum’s interim 2-0 lead by Philipp Hofmann (30th/48th) and the visitors’ goals by Tim Skarke (62nd minute) and Oscar Vilhemsson (76th) in front of 25,023 spectators in the Vonovia Ruhrstadion was also good For VfL Bochum it hardly serves as encouragement for the fight to stay in the league. After four recent defeats, coach Thomas Letsch’s team missed the chance to expand the gap to 16th place to a comfortable eight points.
The duel between the teams with the weakest defense in the league, with 54 (Bochum) and 65 (Darmstadt) goals conceded so far, began with lightning and thunder. It was initially as stormy as the sky on the pitch. But referee Sven Jablonski (Bremen) refused to recognize the supposedly early lead of the guests by Skarke (3rd) because of an offside position.
Nevertheless, the guests felt encouraged by this action and had the expected battle with the favored VfL, but were lucky in the 16th minute when Bochum right-back Felix Passlack hit the side netting from close range.
Even in the period that followed, the game did not rely on high football art, but rather on unconditional commitment on both sides. However, the Bochum team increased the pressure on the Darmstadt goal from minute to minute – and were rewarded for their enthusiasm. After Kevin Stöger’s corner and a lot of confusion in the visitors’ previously stable defense center, Hofmann was there. One day after his 31st birthday, the attacker, who had returned to the starting line-up, put the ball into the net from close range in a follow-up shot.
This residue left an impact on the “lilies”. Not much of the courage of the initial phase was left to be seen. That’s why the Bochum defense had little trouble preserving the narrow but deserved lead into the half-time break.
Just three minutes after the restart, Bochum seemed close to making the preliminary decision. After a cross from Keven Schlotterbeck, Hofmann made it 2-0 with a well-placed header. But this good start to the second half did not provide any security. Skarke used Julian Justvan’s pass, which was worth seeing, to score the next goal for the Darmstadt team.
That made the game even more exciting. In a hectic final phase, VfL seemed closer to making it 3-1 than the guests were to equalizing. But Takuma Asano missed the great chance of making the preliminary decision. Instead, the guests struck back again. Vilhelmsson’s goal from a tight angle caused disillusionment at VfL.